Understanding your oven

Modern ovens are packed with features so now anyone can cook up a storm. This subject is huge so here I only attempt a quick overviewof the various types.

Conventional oven

Also referred to as zoned ovens, conventional ovens heat from the bottom. As the heat rises, it creates different temperature areas – or 'zones' –within the oven. The hottest area is at the top, the center is moderate while the coolest part is at the bottom of the oven.

Multifunction ovens

These are clever ovens and allow you to choose between different cooking methods. These include conventional cooking with top and bottom heat or bottom heat only and fan cooking for fast even heating. Conventional cooking is ideal for baking or you may choose fan or bottom heat cooking for roasting.

Fan assisted oven

This is found on many built-in ovens in Europe and increasingly in the USA. The oven has a built in fan assisting the heating element through a forced air system that continually circulates the hot air around the oven. The desired temperature is achieved more rapidly than in ordinary ovens, saving considerable time and energy as no pre- heating is required.

Fan forced oven

By surrounding a fan with a heating element, fan forced ovens create a steady, even temperature throughout the oven. There's no need to consider where food should be placed as it will all be cooked at an even temperature. These ovens also allow multi- shelf stacking and cooking, and far more than one dish to be cooked at the same time. Available in electric.
When cooking with your fan oven you will find that the manufacturer advises reducing the temperature by some 25 to 50 F/ 15 to 30C degrees and also reducing the time for recipes by up to 25%. Please read their advice carefully and apply it.

Microwave oven

Compact, versatile and economical, microwave ovens can stand alone or be incorporated into a built-in unit. They're the fast way to defrost, reheat and cook food. They are NOT suitable for baking cookies. However they can be handy for melting chocolate or butter when needed in a hurry. Not advised for softening butter as the microwaves tend to congregate in certain areas and so there is a risk of melting some bits of the butter before it is all soft. You have been warned!

Pyrolytic ovens

Self-cleaning ovens have been around for quite a while. However the latest Pyrolytic versions clean better by heating the oven to a high temperature to burn away old food and grease on the ovens sides, leaving a small pile of residue which can be easily wiped away. This does not affect their cooking characteristics

Electronic controls

These provide greater accuracy and maintain a constant temperature, ideal for baking delicate foods. Some ovens provide pre selected temperatures for each function to save time.
Your choice will be influenced by the design of your kitchen, the space available and what you enjoy cooking.

Go to the top of this page about ovens for perfect sugar cookie baking .